Heretofore, railway systems for transporting passengers in metropolitan areas and the like have either been built underground in the form of subways or on overhead tracks. Normally, the cars used are provided for transporting many passengers therein. The cars normally have seats positioned on the side as well as along the length of the vehicle. The vehicles also normally have an open space wherein passengers can stand while being transported. As a result, these cars are quite heavy from a standpoint of passenger weight to vehicle weight. Vehicles are powered by means of a locomotive or can be individually propelled through electric tracks and motors provided therein.
Examples of vehicles transported on monorails are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,890,904 and 3,985,081. In both these devices, the vehicle is secured to the track by means of wheels carried on opposite sides of a rail to provide a more or less interlocking relationship.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,735,710, there is disclosed a relatively small vehicle that travels between opposed rails that have mounted thereon electrically-operated rotatable drive means that engage a side wall of the vehicle for propelling the vehicle between the rails.